Thread guide for knitting machines



March 5, 1935. w. T. KANE THREAD GUIDE FOR KNITTING MACHINES OriginalFiled Dec. 15, 1951 Reissuecl Mar. 1935 UNITED STATES 19 THREAD Gonna:FOR

PATENT OFFICE KNITTING MACHINES Serial No. 581,219, December 15, 1931.

Application for reissue June 1, 1934, Serial No.

6 Claims.

My invention relates to thread guides for knitting machines.

Heretofore, in hosiery knitting machines, thread guide arms have beensecured to the car- 5 rier plates by means of headed screws passingthrough the carrier plate and engaging in threaded openings in thethread guide arm. When an arm had to be changed for any reason, it was adifficult task to remove the headed screws and the washers usuallyemployed therewith without dropping the same into the machinery belowthe guide arms. In placing the new arm, additional difficulty and dangerof dropping the screws or washers was encountered due to the necessityof alining the threaded openings in the arm with the ends of the screwsafter they have been inserted through the carrier plate.

This extreme difficulty and the attendant loss of time incurred whenchanging a thread guide -arm results in the average knitter allowingdefective guides to remain in the machine, thereby producing animperfect product which results in great loss to large manufacturers.

With these difficulties in mind, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide an improved form of mounting for thread guide arms.

- Another object of the invention is to provide a carrier plate withopen ended slots and a guide arm with headed screws engaged in threadedopenings therein whereby the screws may be slid into the slots whileengaged with the arm and need not at any time be completely removedtherefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide means on the carrier platewhich will prevent disengagement of the guide arm therefrom until thesecuring screws have been loosened to a predetermined position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following detailed description when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of thisspecification and in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theinvention;

Figure 2 is a disassembled perspective view thereof; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numeralsrefer to like parts throughout the same, 5 indicates a gib or cross barof a knitting machine upon which is mounted a thread guide carriage 6.These parts are conventional and are not thought to require any furtherdescription.

A carrier plate 7 is mounted upon the guide carriage 6, being secured tothe face thereof by means of suitable screws 8. This carrier plate ispreferably fiat and is formed with a pair of substantially parallelspaced open ended slots 9 which extend inwardly from the lower edgethereof.

A thread guide arm 10 is provided with spaced threaded openings in whichare engaged headed screws 11, the openings being spaced apart the samedistance, as the slots 9 so that the shanks of the screws between theheads thereof and the face of the guide arm 10 will slide into and'outof said slots when said screws are loosened. The screws have clampingwashers 12 soldered to the heads thereof, or if desired, the washerscould be formed integral with said screws.

The above described arrangement of slots, screws and washers are, ofcourse, illustrative of but one arrangement and it is obvious that thewashers could be loosely mounted on the screw shanks, or dispensed withentirely. It is apparent also that the particular arrangement of slotscould be varied as to number and position, as well as shape.

It is believed also that means other than screws could be used foraffecting the connection. Any attaching element having a head and ashank portion capable of insertion in the slots would do as well. I

The face of the carrier plate 7 is formed with projecting detents 13,one on each side of each of the slots 9 adjacent the open ends thereof,these detents acting to engage the washers 12 to prevent withdrawing ofthe screws 11 from the slots 9 until said screws have been loosened to apredetermined degree. The face of the plate may also be provided withserrations 14 on each side of the slots 9 so that the washers 12 willobtain a firmer grip when the screws 11 are tightened to lock the guidearm 10 in position. Of course, it is understood that the foregoingarrangement of detents and serrations illustrate but one way by whichthe desired result can be accomplished and it is obvious that theserrations or the like could as well be on the underside of thecarrierplate, or on the meeting face of the guide arm or both or on thewashers or like. Also, it is thought that other means than the detents13 could be used to prevent the separation of plate and arm when thescrews are loosened less than a predetermined amount. The plate 7 isalso formed with perforated alined thread guide ears 15 at each end anddiate thereof.

In operation, when it is desired to place a. thread guide arm upon acarrier plate, the screws 11 are tightened until the ends thereof areflush with the back of the guide arm. When this is done there will besufficient clearance between the washers 12 and. the face of the arm toclear the detents 13 as the arm is inserted into position with theshanks of the screws 11 entering the slots 9, whereupon the screws aretightened to lock the arm in position. When it isdesired to remove thearm for purposes of repair or replacement, the screws are loosened untiltheir intermeends are flush with the back of the arm 10, which.

tion has been shown and described, it will be understood that variousmodifications in the details of construction may be resortedto withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a thread guide for knitting machines, a carrier plate havingspaced open ended slots formed therein, a thread guide arm having headedscrews engaged therein said screws being insertable endwise into 'saidslots whereby to clamp said arm to said plate when said screws aretightened, and means for preventing accidental detachment of said armfrom said plate upon a slight loosening of said screws, said meanscomprising detents carried by'said plate on either side of each of saidslots for engaging the heads of said screws. 7

2. In a thread guide mechanism for knitting machines, a carrier plateelement, a thread guide element carried by said plate element, one ofsaid elements having spaced open ended slots formed therein and theother of said elements having spaced headed screws engaged therein andinsertable endwise of said slots, said screws serving to lock saidelements together when so inserted and tightened, and means for engagingthe heads of said screws to prevent accidental disengagement of saidelements upon a slight loosening of said screws.

3. In a thread guide mechanism for knitting machines, a carrier plateelement, a thread guide element carried by said plate element, one ofsaid elements having spaced open ended slots formed therein and theother of said elements having spaced headed screws engaged therein andinsertable endwise of said slots, said screws serving to lock saidelements together when so inserted and tightened, and means forpreventing accidental disengagement of said elements upon a slightloosening of said screws, said means com prising projections on the faceof said slotted element adjacent the open ends of said slots forengagement with the heads of said screws.

4. In a thread guide mechanism for knitting machines, a carrier plateelement, a thread guide element carried by said plate element, one ofsaid elements having spaced open-ended slots formed therein and theother of said elements having spaced headed screws engaged therethroughand insertable end-wise of said slots, said screws serving to lock saidelements together when so inserted and tightened, and means for engagingthe heads of said screws to prevent accidental disengagement of saidelements upon a slight loosening of said screws, said screws being of alength selected with respect to said engaging means so that when saidscrews are loosened to dispose their ends substantially flush with theunder face 'of the element through which they are engaged,

said heads will clear said head-engaging means to permit readydisengagement of said elements.

5. In a thread guide for knitting machines, a carrier plate element, athread guide element carried by said plate element, one of said elementshaving spaced open ended slots formed therein and the other of saidelements having spaced headed screws engaged therein and insertableendwise of said slots, said screws serving to lock said elementstogether when so inserted and tightened, and. means to preventdisengagement of said two elements upon a slight loosening of saidscrews.

6. In a threadguide for'knitting machines, a carrier plate element, athread guide element carried by said plate element, one of said elementshaving spaced open ended slots formed therein and the other of saidelements having spaced headed screws engaged therein and insertableendwise of said slots, said screws serving to lock said elementstogether when so inserted and tightened, clampmeans carried by theshanks of said screws between the heads thereof and the slotted"element, and means to prevent disengagement of said plate'and arm upona slight loosening of said screws.

WILBUR T. KANE.

